Pup (Bratt)

Chapter Seventeen: Late Nights and "L" Words

Matt awoke in the middle of the night suddenly. He was panting hard, and a sheen of sweat coated his body. He clenched his eyes shut tight, then opened them, trying to rid himself of the images still lingering behind his eyelids. He could still hear Sterling's voice ringing in his ears, the whistle of the cane through the air as it came down against his side. Again and again he struck. If Matt made a sound, ten more strikes were added.

Sterling was everything Matt could think about. It filled him with fear, and he didn't know what to do. He was on the verge of tears just from his nightmare. He could practically feel the pain that radiated through his body. He could hear the shouts, Sterling calling him a whore and a slut, that he didn't even deserve to live.

Matt's breathing came in short rasps. He grabbed Brian's jacket, burying his face in it and inhaling his master's scent. He sighed, reached for his phone which was charging on the floor, and before he could talk himself out of it, he called Brian.

It rang twice before Brian picked up. His voice was filled with sleep as he answered, "Matt? Is everything okay?"

Matt didn't realize tears were streaming down his cheeks. The sound of his master's voice filled him with immense relief. "Master." He whispered, "Master, I-I just... I'm sorry to wake you, sir, it's just I... I had a bad dream."

"Really?" Brian asked, "Are you all right? You don't sound all right."

"It just shook me up, sir. We met some friends of my previous owner today-" it was 4:17 AM, "Or, well, yesterday at the club where Zacky works, and I guess that just spurred nightmares."

"Was your nightmare about your previous owner?"

"Yes sir." Matt wished his voice wasn't so thick. He wished the tears weren't so audible when he spoke.

"Do you want to tell it to me?"

"I don't want to burden you, Master-"

"Tell me your dream, Matt."

Matt took a deep, shaky breath. "I-I dreamed I was with my previous master, Sterling. He-He was caning me, not for a punishment, just because he felt like it. He liked me quiet, but he didn't gag me on purpose because whenever I made a sound, he w-would add ten more strikes." Matt closed his eyes tight. "He was calling me such awful things, and I was hurting so much. I-I think this stands out so much in my mind because when this happened, I had broken ribs and a fractured wrist and he had to take me to the ER."

There was silence on the other line when Matt had finished. He looked at the phone to see if it had hung up, then asked, "Master?"

"I'm still here, pet." Brian's voice was soft and reassuring, "Oh, puppy, I'm so sorry. I knew that your experience with your last master had been unsatisfactory, abusive even, but I had no idea he took it to such great lengths. I can't imagine how brave you are to have dealt with that. You're so strong, pet, I have such a beautiful, strong submissive. Do... Do you want me to come home? I can pull some strings and be over there in eight hours, tops. I don't want you to be upset with me so far away from you, pup."

"Oh, no, Master, I want you to make things right with your family. I'll be fine, I was just shaken up and I... I don't know, I just wanted to hear your voice."

"That's good, pet. I don't want you to ever feel like you can't call me. In fact, I expect you to call me whenever you wish. I'll make arrangements to come home tomorrow, all right? I'll be back at Zacky's house by supper time. Does that sound all right?"

Matt sniffed, "Master, I don't want you to leave on bad terms with your family."

"Nonsense, we'll have everything sorted out by then. My father was just being a tool, nothing out of the ordinary." Brian paused, then said, "Matt, what did those people say to you? The people at the club?"

"They knew my name. They knew Sterling, and they said they were going to live up to his legacy. They-They wanted to fu- to take advantage of me, sir. They said that next time I'm without you, I'd need to keep a lookout."

"Do you know their names?" Brian spoke through gritted teeth. "I swear to god, Matt, I will find those men and make them sorry they ever looked in your direction."

"No, sir, I don't know them. I've never seen them before."

Brian sighed on the other line. "If you ever see them again I want you to tell me straight away, Matt. No one dares even think of laying a hand on my puppy who can expect to get away with it."

Matt bit his lip. "Yes, Master. I'll let you know if I ever see them again."

"Good." Brian sounded at least a little more relieved. "How are you feeling now, pet? Are you feeling better?"

Matt nodded, then remembered he was on the phone and said, "Yes, sir. Much better. Thank you, sir."

"If Zacky is off tomorrow you should go see Jimmy. And be shaved when I get home, remember?"

"Oh, yes, sir! I'll be ready for you."

"Okay. Great. I'll see you tomorrow, pup."

"Yes sir. I'll talk to you then."

"All right. Bye, Matt. Love you."

Love you?

What?

"S-Sir?" Matt whispered into the phone, but Brian had already hung up.

Those two words rang loud and clear in Matt's mind. They circulated around and around, and he wondered if he should call his master back, ask if he really meant what he had said. There was no way Brian had actually said those words, Brian couldn't love a person like Matt... could he?

He decided against calling, he didn't want to make Brian have to explain himself. He was the master, after all. Besides, he needed rest, Matt had woken him up in the middle of the night.

Matt sighed, climbing back into bed and shutting his eyes tight. Sleep, he just needed to forget about what had happened and go to sleep. There was no way Brian meant what he said, he must have still been half asleep. He wouldn't remember saying them when he picked Matt up tomorrow evening.

He tossed and turned in bed, eventually sighing and going into the bathroom. He had bought shaving razors that women used on their legs, along with shaving cream, and he decided now was the best time to go ahead and get it over with.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He did cut himself with the razor a couple times, which hurt, especially around his knee, but it wasn't that different from shaving his face. He saw his life flash before his eyes when he ran the razor ever so gently over his balls, but it lasted without incident. Matt was just so happy that he was going to be pleasing his master, and that made it worth it.

And that whole "love you" thing. Did Matt love Brian? His heart screamed "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and he had to push it away. What even was love? What did it feel like? Matt knew for sure he had never been in love before.

But at the same time, he couldn't imagine himself being in love with anyone but Brian. His master meant everything to Matt, and he couldn't help but think of what it would be like to spend the rest of his life at Brian's side.

He went back to bed at 5:09 in the morning. He knew he would likely be tired in the morning, but in that moment, it didn't matter. He could hear Brian's voice in his head, so nonchalantly saying, "Love you."

Matt smiled, his eyes drifting closed. Before he fell asleep, his fleeting thought was, 'Love you, too.'